Unreasonable expectations: we have all been subject to them and some of us have subjected others to them. Sometimes, our expectations are too high, but sometimes our own imaginations are limiting our progress. I believe the latter is true for product packaging.

When it comes to cosmetic color or shade selection in the drug store aisle, or any mass market retail environment, the burden of decision making falls directly on the shoulders of the consumer. For cosmetics companies, this creates a great deal of risk – what if the consumer begins to second guess whether they have the correct match? This problem is further compounded by the fact that despite all the shelving, backlighting and pricey fixtures… when the consumer is standing in the grocery aisle thinking she may need a new concealer, it all looks the same.

I had the privilege to speak at Smithers Pira’s E-PACK event in Chicago in September. E-Pack provided brand owners opportunity to discuss the challenges of staying competitive in the online retailing space and how packaging converters and packaging design firms can provide additional solutions for brand owners. If you missed the event, I’ve got three key learnings that I’m happy to share with you, as well as a recap of the presentation I gave with my former customer and still-current colleague John Morrow.

This past Monday, Amazon opened it’s first retail store outside its home state (Washington). I visited the Amazon Go Chicago yesterday and recorded my observations to satisfy your curiosity.

Each time a new package is designed for a food or beverage product, brand leaders must ask themselves if they’re giving shoppers what they want. Is this package what shoppers expect? Are they meeting shoppers’ desires?

As shopping behaviors and the path to purchase have been disrupted by online and mobile shopping, shoppers’ expectations of the product experience are also changing.

When designing a package for food and beverage, a beautiful design will always appeal to shoppers, but a great design needs to do more. It needs to inform and motivate a sale, particularly in the nanosecond of consideration online. Carefully considering these factors for both packaging refreshes and new packaging will enhance unique brand identity and cement consumer loyalty.

Marketplace disruptions caused by the rapid growth in ecommerce and social media are posing major threats and opportunities for consumer package goods (CPG) companies.  Designing innovative products and packages that delight consumers have always been important, but innovation today needs to be faster, more effective and less expensive than ever before.  Strong marketing implementation has also always been important, but the complex environment today requires a highly efficient, integrated omnichannel approach.  Technology can help enable these transformations. 

As a technology leader, I’m continually looking to gather data and insights that strengthen my business case for digital transformation within my organization. 

Shopper insights on food and beverage packaging helps marketers, designers and packaging engineers create innovative product designs with strong value propositions based on data and feedback on how and why shoppers buy both in-store and online.

As a packaging engineer, adapting to consumer preferences isn’t always easy, but if you can comprehend exactly what makes the difference in the consumer’s decision to buy or not buy, then you can identify cost-saving opportunities and sustainability improvements across the entire supply chain.